The Homestead Living Series: How to Make a Pine Wreath

There is nothing more festive or heartwarming than a fresh cut pine wreath adorning your front door or hearth during the holiday season. The deep green, billowing branches are so inviting and the bright red berries and bows are cheerful and fun! The crisp and clean smell of pine welcomes all who enter. Making your own home-made pine wreath is so easy that anybody can do it. It's a great holiday craft for the whole family; everyone can contribute!

Things You Will Need

Step 1

If you live near a forest, simply take a handsaw or a small chainsaw out to the woods and trim some pine branches yourself. Don't take the lowest layer of branches or the tree may die. Cut or snap them off at an angle making sure to collect enough for a nice, full wreath. You should wear gloves for this because it can get prickly and sappy. You can load them onto a sleigh, a burlap grain sack, or a canvas tote. If you don't have any of these you can use a blanket or sheet.

Step 2

Lay your branches out neatly, sorted by size. You will want to start winding the branches around your frame starting with the longest, fullest ones first. Overlap them slightly and loop a piece of green wire around it to keep it secure. For your frame, you can either buy one from a craft store or you can make one from wire hangers. Either way, you can form any shape you choose; just make sure it's heavy enough to support your pine boughs.

Step 3

Now, even out your wreath by adding more branches of varying sizes to make it look full and natural. Once you have enough wire holding it together firmly, you can add your embelishments. Red velvet bows or plaid ribbon make excellent decorations for your pine holiday wreath. Sprigs of cranberry, bayberry, and holly often adorn evergreen wreaths. You can even use small dollhouse toys to add a whimsical theme to your wreath. If you are hanging your wreath indoors, you may be able to get away with more delicate decorations than if you are hanging it outdoors because wind and weather won't be a factor.

Pine wreaths make lovely, personal gifts. Everybody appreciates home-made things. The neat thing about giving pine wreaths as gifts is that you can use unique decorations to personalize the wreath for the recipient. Some examples would be teddy bear wreaths, fruit wreaths, sports wreaths or casino wreaths. Scrapbooking items make for great details including mini picture frames with black and white photos or embossed letters to spell out a family name.

With proper care and construction, your pine wreath can last nicely for six to eight weeks.

Tips & Warnings

The longevity of your wreath depends on many things. The colder the weather, the longer your wreath will last. Try not to hang lights directly on the needles as the heat will dry them out and cause them to shed. If you mist your wreath with hairspray before you hang it outside, it will last a little longer because the mist seals the moisture inside of it. These are all good suggestions to prolong the life of your fresh pine wreath.